The time period between the birth of the child and the churching of the
mother was, as far as I have found, a flexible matter perhaps governed as
much by local custom as by any Scriptural precedent. I've based that
conclusion on material from synodal statutes and records from episcopal
courts. (I'm looking at northern France, between 1100 and 1500.) The
waiting period between birth and purification was often stated as "about a
month" or "one month, according to custom." (I'm paraphrasing here.)
I'm not sure if this was also true for other regions outside of northern
France. Perhaps Becky Lee is still on-line and can offer information about
medieval England?
Paula Rieder
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|